Celebrating Festivals away from home town

Most people of my age would have distinct memories of celebrating festivals in their childhood while they were in their hometown .It was always fun, and had its own region based peculiarities associated with them. For eg in Indore, Rangpachmi is celebrated with greater vigor as compared to Holi. If an outsider is not aware of this fact and comes to Indore on a Rangpachmi, he is due for a surprise.

But while opportunities drove many Indians out of India, it has also placed many of us outside our hometowns. We start living in our nuclear families, away from the regular interference of social functions. We are surrounded by many a souls who share this common background. Over the period, those who have settled abroad have built their own community of friends and also relatives and celebrate some of the Indian festivals. At times, this enthusiasm is much beyond that displayed by the Indians who are settled in India but outside their native place.

I was witness to the festival celebrations while I was in Kuwait at the time of Diwali last year. I was in an area which had a large Indian community. The government in Kuwait allows for bursting of crackers only on Diwali day till 10 PM. There are some limits on the sound level of crackers as well. What comes as a delight is that people do not celebrate Diwali within their household but among community members. Even when in a nuclear family, families decorate their homes, visit each others homes, meet at a common open ground for bursting crackers and have a Diwali Milan on the weekend around Diwali. The point is Diwali does not pass off as just another Holiday whether you are bachelor or with family.

A Diwali Milan in Kuwait

Incidentally while I was in Air Force, there was always some social bonding on festivals.In the absence of relatives,colleagues living in the same campus became extended family.

So while Holi was approaching, my wife gave the verdict that Holi would not be just another Holiday for us. She wanted our son  to immerse in the same joys as we once did in our childhood. This called for more than buying our son a “Pichkari” or just applying some color on his forehead. Holi had to be the wild, tiring day of which we had childhood memories.

So we decided to have a small get together of my son Manyu’s friends staying in the same colony. We arranged Pichkaris and Gulal for all of them. Told the mothers to accompany them to our home where we collected for some snacks and some games.

Then we moved down to the parking lot with our colors and Pichkaris.Once the ceremonial color was put on their cheeks and forehead, the kids went berserk with their Pichkairs. Their joy was unadulterated and their enthusiasm had no limits. All that was required was to give them a platform to be together, they scripted their own festival. 

It is absolutely essential that we introduce our children and also continue the celebration of festivals in our lives irrespective of the place we are living. While Cadbury can give reason for “Kuch Meetha Ho jaye”,we just have to be ready for celeberation and India will give you a number of days for the same. Isn’t why India is called the land of festivals?

Kuwait-Unraveled

One would have heard that life is not only black and white it has shades of grey too.Well in kuwait the life is bit different.It has mostly shades of brown.This is because most the buildings are made of sand stone and people prefer not to change the natural look of it.

Now that I have spent about 3 weeks in Kuwait,I have been able to observe the city for a while and can pen down my observations.

Kuwait has a well structured network of roads.This was made after Kuwait gained independence from Britain.This beautiful road network makes driving fun in Kuwait.The cars move at speeds of 120 Kmph as a routine.Also,if you thought women were bad drivers,you will be amazed by the speeds at which they drive in Kuwait.They are also safer drivers then men.For a country which boasts of one of the highest accident rates in the world,the number of women drivers in those accidents is dismal.After seeing New York and Kuwait both,I think Kuwait would have highest assortment of cars per square feet in the world.This love for cars translate into a healthy second hand market which allows even the expats(70% of Kuwait) working in Kuwait to own wheels.This cars are the most visible testimony to the western influence to this young nation.

Kuwait is absolutely safe, crimes are probably limited also because of prohibition of alcohol.So the vices which an average Kuwait citizen indulges is cigarettes.When one sees around,you find people smoking cigarettes and Hooka.It has become a part of their lives.no wonder,cigarettes here are very cheap.It is very common to see families coming down to beaches,community parks with children and their cycles or skateboards.Many barbecue  stands are set and the smoke spreads in the surrounding.One gets to smell the aroma of multiple delicacies all for free.

One thing which points towards the strong religious beliefs of Kuwaitis is their perseverance to the ritual of Namaaz.Be it office,mall or shops there is an area earmarked for Namaaz and when it is time for Namaaz,people gather together irrespective of time of work their attire.Also one finds young and old generations wearing the traditional Dishdasha.While one finds young Indians slipping into Jeans and T shirt,the attachment and continuation of Dishdasha in Kuwait is really surprising.While you may find the young generation of Kuwait wearing western clothes,the same person would be wearing the Dishdasha the very next day.While many a women from Kuwait wear Burqa,it is quire common the natives  wearing a head scarf with their dress instead of the Burqa.

Most of the Kuwaitis go out after primary school to western countries for further education.Same is the case for expats too who normally send their children to their native countries for higher education.This change is resulting in an average Kuwaiti being more informed and educated then those in the middle east.

There are no tourist visas given in Kuwait.The government keeps a tab on not only work permits but also driving licenses issued to expats.So if one is in Kuwait he is definitely there for "work",fun can be just an add on.
One can roam around freely anytime of the day as long as one carries his passport and visa and does not offend any religious sentiments.The country is promoting Kuwaitization in a big way where in for any contarct/job you do in Kuwait,it will be through a Kuwaiti Company or a Kuwaiti national.So whether one wants to implement a software or be a taxi driver in Kuwait,you have to have a Kuwaiti sponsorer.This system has worked well for Kuwait.



One can get along easily by speaking English.Due to the influence of western world one can find all the major brands.For Indians who know Tamil/Malayalam one would probably feel at home as the majority Indian community comes from south India.All said,Kuwait grows on you.

Community Parks

I had heard about community parks in a localities  but had not lived in a locality with these parks.One comes across articles in newspaper when citizens raise campaigns to save the community parks around their homes.I would normally just ignore it as another trivia news.However I realized the value of community parks not in India but while I was in Kuwait.

I was staying at Salmia in Kuwait and decided to go for a jog daily to the only green space amidst  the concrete jungle.The park is maintained fairly well given that the water scarcity and weather in Kuwait makes it difficult for trees to grow.

If one removes the rows of trees in the park,one can mistake the cemented path in the park as a busy street.People,majorly from Indian sub continent are the ones who frequent the park in the evening.For the people of all classes who live in the community,it is the most affordable and achievable option by which they can take care of their health.After a busy working day,people of all classes come down to spend some quite time with themselves.It is a delight to see both young and old on the same path if not the same platforms.

Many a children have only this outdoor space,it is here that they breath fresh air and bind socially..something which is getting lost in the  individualistic society.Many ladies get way from the monotony of daily chores to share their space with other ladies.

For an outsider,it is difficult to realize what the park means to the locality but if one spends few evenings in such a park,he will know what the park means to the community.

While other things change color and shapes in a locality..its the green of the community park which stays on..reminding the residents of their memories and also  helping them live long enough to preserve these memories.

Indian Super Heroes

We have grown up listening stories of Ramayana and Mahabharata.I belong to the generation who remember the empty roads when these epic serials were aired.

But then there came a time, we got engrossed in the likes of Archies,Superman and Spiderman.The facts that made them popular were-
1. They belonged to the western culture.
2. They were lot more humane then our mythological super Heroes.
3. There were no moral values attached to them,our grand parents were not forcing us to read them.
4. They lived in Contemporary world,they used the same gadgets and lived in the same settings we live in. 

Thus,there started a time in the lives of middle class Indians,where the western super Heroes found a way to our homes,if not through Comics but through television.
It seemed that ten years down the line,the likes of Spiderman will become the bed time stories.Our very own Amar Chitra Katha,Twinkle failed to fill these void.


Then suddenly,a  Company decided to make the most of it when it brought out the animated version of Hanuman in 2005.This was the time ,Bollywood and Indian Animation studios were making big money.They decided to experiment and came Animated movies and television serials of Indian mythological Heroes Hanuman and Ganesha.Taking a step further,the story tellers brought them  in our present lives.Children could associate with a Hanuman who goes to school and secretly save the world too.This was also the time,there was a big influx of Chinese cartoons,some of them were wicked and most of them were not "Good Looking"

 
                                                        





For parents like me,it seemed there was no respite from this cross cultural attack.But market dynamics were at its best.As a pleasant surprise came serials like "Chota Bheem".He belongs to our contemporary lives,he conveys high moral values and is shown in English.As I parent,I could not have asked for better.So even though my son sees the all time favorite Tom & Jerry,he also watches Chota Bheem and believe me, it is an interesting watch.I even saw CD of Chota Bheem sold in the market.The Indian Super Heroes(at least for the children) have finally arrived.

Innovation at Work

It’s about time that most of us would have joined work. We would have got used to the processes at work and probably even started getting frustrated seeing some of them. We might have even cursed ourselves that how we are a tiny fry in a big organization.


We have also heard the tales of how some organization are innovative and entrepreneurial in nature while others have none of these qualities. People would go all lengths to be part of these organizations. So is innovation restricted to only the likes of Google or 3M. We can delay it into eternity by thinking that our time for making the changes will come when we reach the place of CXO’s.



Alternately we can do something which is being advocated by Robin Sharma in his latest book” Leader without Title” and try to make small but incremental changes in our work place irrespective of our position. Well appears easy but is it difficult to implement?



I found a live example of some one trying innovation from unexpected corner. Every day while going back from office to home, I would face a traffic jam at the Hope farm circle. It is not due to heavy traffic but a specific reason.

All along the square are four lane roads except for the one going to Chanshankara, which is two-lane road. There are no free left turns at the square. Just on the beginning of the road is the assumed bus stop for passengers who wish to board the bus going towards Chanshankara. Since this road remains narrow throughout and has heavy traffic there is no space for making an alternate bus stop ahead of this one. As a result when the buses going towards Chanshankara stop, to take the passengers, traffic behind them going towards Chanshankara comes to an absolute halt, most of the times on the very square itself. So even when the light turns green for the other sides of the square the vehicles cannot move due to blocked square. Many fellow commuters and I have seen this scene, honked in agony and many a times curse the people who travel by bus, as if they had a bus stop choice. The traffic policeman standing there would turn a blind eye to this episode which plays itself many times over in the day.

It is here that I saw an example of ingenuity and leadership at grass root levels. Some of the policeman tried a novel idea. Since shifting the bus stop was not in their power they devised a solution keeping it a “hard constraint”. They started halting the traffic coming from Chanshankara much before the traffic signals equivalent of two buses length from the signal. Under this arrangement the bus would stop at the bus stop at the beginning of the road. However other vehicles would move from the side of the bus, traveling in the opposite lane for a while before they would cross the bus and reach ahead of the bus and follow the normal lane. Incidentally, keeping the traffic light of their side green for an additional 10 seconds compensated the traffic, which was halted much short of traffic signal. Though the solution defies the traffic laws (of moving in your lane), it offers the best solution under the given set of constraints. I was really amused with this simple solution, which was put forward and implemented by just two things – Common sense and a willingness to make a difference.

Cycling to office

Well after driving in Bangalore and driving crazy about it,I just renteed a place as close to the office as possible..I would have given a arm if my office basement had a 2 bedroom set but that was not to be...So I decided to use my cycle to go to office.


Buying a cycle is  yet another story.I always thought that I will be able to exercise and live healthy if I owned a bicycle.But with new cycles costing around 3000 Rs..I just could not risk buying it and not using it.fortunately while in XLRI my dear friend Dr Kailash dediced to dispose it off-i decided to turn my dreams into reality.And the hassles it took me to transport it from Jamshedpur to Bangalore ensured that I really had to make use of it.


So when I started driving cycle to office..I relaized that initially I always had a reson to avoid taking it to the office-telling myself that I will be late ..even when there is no fixed time to reach the office.



I suddenly realized that once you are on cycle..the other motorized vehicles treat you like dirt..they would actually want you to become part of it..I mean  move down the road or worse will be short of running over you.If you do not have balance on your cycle,you might just fall on the gr

But still cycling is fun,once you drive it in the evening,you can feel cool evening breeze of bangalore.You see new shops,signs..why I managed to see a cyber cafe and a gas agency both of which I wanted to visit but could not found while I used to drive to office.And talking about the office..Once you come to offfice in a car you are just amother person..unless you own a ferrari but noy many people can come to office on a cycle.At first it seems odd ..cycling in formals to office but what the heck..if CEO of Fortune 500 company can do it..I guess there is no reason for me to mind either.One I make it to the A list...people will not say that he started driving cycle only when he became a CEO.

.Well and among all thousands of people who come to office it is you the security staff looks with some recognition.


Well another time when you feel the power is once you grt stuck by a bus which just stops in between..among all vehicles behind her honking..its the cycle which finds space to overtake her.Also on the numerous speed breakers on the roads,I would find a luxury car
luxury car slow down  ..even slower than the cycle (well literally each one needs to watch his back) .But the cycle cruises along..same speed.

Now there are some lows too..once you are on a downslope enjoying the momentum and some vehicle in fron make you stop..thats not a happy feeling.

Another good part of going to office with a cycle is you just cant miss your daily exercise,at least for 5 days a week.So it helps in setting a routine too.

The best part of it is that I actually relate to the woes of the other cycle drivers..whatever i exercise is the bonus.So now that I have spoken so much for the cycle publically..I guess i just need to continue with the cycling for some time.

Car driving in Bangalore

It is not that I have not experienced the traffic of Bangalore before.But experiencing it while being in the driving seat is a different feeling.Some observations/lessons for driving car in Bangalore based on my learnings from driving my car from Airport road to ITPL-

1. If you thought only small creatures were nimble(And you have not seen the Elephant ad of Accenture),you need to see the Bangalore city buses in action.The drivers will cut your path with such precision,you will bite your nails.

2. While driving in Bangalore on a 4 lane road-2 lane for each side of traffic, drive as indicated in the picture.At many a places where there is a U turn facility available, the vehicles get stuck for a long time as they are unable to turn due to high speed traffic coming from other side.In case you are driving at the outer edge of the road,you will get stuck behind this traffic awaiting U turn.The bus drivers of Bangalore would keep changing lane to at the bus stops,in that case too you will have the best chance to speed up in the gap.

3. Consult for one ways lest you will find yourself running around in circles.There is no scope for consulting while on the move as there is no place where you can get your vehicle to a side and ask for directions.

4. If you are going to some destination in town,find the location of the nearest mall where you can park your car and with that as base use the auto for commuting.There are just no parking slots in Bangalore.

5. Dont feel happy ,if you jumped a traffic light and are not apprehended by the cops.He would have noted your number and will either send the notice home or pass information on the walkie-talkie to the cop at next square.

6. And for each car journey you think of taking,evaluate whether you can avoid that by a combination of daily or monthly bus pass as with the air conditioned volvo..u can avoid driving atleast for office.